Hurston Waldrep set to begin rehab assignment

The Braves’ first-round selection in 2023, Hurston Waldrep started to put it all together last season — posting a 2.88 ERA over 56.1 innings and striking out nearly a batter per inning.

He was expected to be an integral piece of the rotation coming into this season, but loose bodies in his elbow were discovered during Spring Training, leading to minor surgery.

Waldrep will need four to five starts to build his pitch count before the Braves even consider bringing him to Atlanta, and the club could opt to be patient given that he still has options — meaning they can keep him in Gwinnett for as long as they’d like. But if he’s running his fastball up into the high 90s, he probably won’t be down there for long.

The other intriguing aspect of this news is what it means for AJ Smith-Shawver. Earlier this month, Walt Weiss indicated that Smith-Shawver and Waldrep were at roughly the same point in their recoveries — which suggests Smith-Shawver could be starting his own rehab assignment in the near future as well.

Spencer Schwellenbach is also working his way back, but he just recently began throwing. Barring any setbacks, it will likely be at least another month before he embarks on a rehab assignment.